Hanging by a Thread
by LoonyLass
Summary: Severus and Harry have an unusual encounter one night in Harry's 6th year when he is required to take Occlumency lessons. Could be slash? OotP spoilers


I just wrote this little story in like an hour. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Harry Potter or any of the Characters there in. I really wish I did though.oh well. You could sue me, but I would just end up going to jail because I have no money and jail would give me more time to write ; )  
  
Hanging by a Thread  
  
It started quite harmlessly enough. Harry Potter, during his sixth year of school, resumed his Occlumency lessons with Professor Severus Snape. They met once a week, which was more than enough by both of their standards. Harry somehow managed to juggle a full school schedule, quidditch, and the resumed D.A. meetings. And Severus somehow managed not to kill the boy.  
  
All in all, things were tolerable. Potter was finally making some progress with his mind defense, just enough to keep the professor from giving him endless lectures. He could force Snape out of his mind relatively quickly or at least before coming across some of Harry's more disturbing memories.  
  
Yes, things were finally looking up for the Boy-Who-Lived-And-Keeps-On- Living. Of course that was before the rainy night in October when things changed for Harry and Severus.  
  
"Potter, you are fifteen minutes late. One more time of your tardiness will see you scrubbing out first year cauldrons until your hands bleed" said Professor Snape without looking up from his papers.  
  
"I know, sir, I had to help with equipment pickup because of the storm and I ran." Harry said from his position in front of the dark haired man's desk.  
  
"When I want your excuses, Mr. Potter, I will ask for them" sneered Snape as he looked at the drenched young man before him.  
  
Harry remained silent and tried to keep himself from strangling his teacher. He was there to work and killing Professor Snape was no way to complete his lessons; and complete them he would. Harry made a promise to the Headmaster that he would finish what he had started last year.  
  
Harry's thoughts were interrupted by Severus standing from his work and walking over to their usual 'dueling area' as Potter like to call it. The area was beside Snape's desk where there was just enough room to have wands fully extended and able to shoot spells. The walls behind both of them were the same stone that covered the rest of the dungeon. The teacher and student were well enough away from the green jars of preserved potions ingredients to ensure any stray hexes would not ruin the impressive collection. Harry straightened up and followed the professor's example by taking his place.  
  
Without further warning except for an impressive whirl of black robe, Snape aimed his wand and said 'Legilimens'. Before Harry could compose his thoughts enough to block, Severus had breached whatever defense Harry could muster. The spell was well aimed and shot directly into his mind, delving into his memories. Ricocheting from one recollection to another; a zoo with a snake, spiders in the forest, a deep green robe, the dream of hands running over his body-.  
  
"No!" Yelled Harry forcing Snape from his thoughts more physically than magically. Somehow he had moved close enough to the man to push him off balance. When Potter opened his eyes, the potions master was sitting on the floor staring up at him with the utmost loathing.  
  
'Oh, gods' Harry thought, 'he is going to kill me. Really kill me' Before Snape had the chance, however, Potter tried to stutter an explanation "Sir, I didn't mean to-what I mean to say is-I didn't know-you should have-"  
  
Anger was finding its way into the green-eyed boy's voice.  
  
"You really should have waited 'til I was ready. I hadn't even made it to the other side of the room. It's not fair."  
  
Snape get up off the floor, shaking with barely contained rage.  
  
"Oh, Potter, I am so sorry", he spat with vicious sarcasm. "What was I thinking? Next time I'll make sure you have a nice cup of tea before you are attacked by the Dark Lord. Maybe a-"  
  
"Voldemort is dead, Snape" Harry yelled back at him. "The only reason I'm even taking these stupid fucking lessons is because Dumbledore asked me to. He thought you and your worthless teaching would help me in some way-"  
  
The professor grabbed Potter by the sides of his robe in one swift movement and shoved him up against the rough stone wall. The rocks dug uncomfortably into Harry's back, but that was nothing compared to the terrorizing site before him.  
  
Snape was only inches from his face breathing rattled by fury; his black eyes which had reminded him of beetles for so many years now looked like lava. His eyes had turned into raging orbs that glowed like hot black lava.  
  
"'My worthless teaching' you ungrateful little son of a bitch could have saved a life. Oh, yes, you remember.your mangy cur of a godfather." Snape lowered his head even further until his lips were almost touching Harry's ear.  
  
Harry could do nothing; he was transfixed by the words.  
  
"Yesss", he hissed to the boy, "how does it feel Potter to know that yet another has fallen to your idiocy? It is your fault, you know; so many people trusting the Great Harry Potter. What would they say if they knew they had a murderer for a savior; because that is what you are, a murderer. Why didn't you just cast the killing curse before hand so that the other members of the Order need not have endangered their own lives while saving your worthless carcass?"  
  
Harry listened as all the words that had been flowing through his mind since Cedric's death were finally spoken. The dark sickly cloud that descended into his brain, which rendered him sleepless night after night, which made him think that maybe the world would be better without the boy who lived.He was directly responsible for the death of two people, or at least two of which he knew. There could be countless others out there fighting against Voldemort with the thought that they were protecting Harry Potter, the would-be savior of the wizarding world.  
  
'And there are more' thought Harry 'there are the Death Eaters that one day I will fight against and be expected to kill and all the people in between that are murdered because I couldn't stop a man named Tom Riddle and a demon called Voldemort. It will all be my fault. I couldn't save my parents; I failed before the age of two. I failed Cedric and I failed Sirius- watched them die.'  
  
Snape pulled his head back to stare angrily into Potter's eyes. He expected to see defiance and hatred.  
  
Instead, he was reminded of watching a building collapse. The sparkle of courage and determination in those glass green eyes was shattered. Harry looked glazedly beyond him.  
  
'This isn't Harry Potter' Snape thought as he warily let go of the young man's robes and stepped back. Harry directly slipped to the floor; looking as though someone had just cut the final thread to a marionette.  
  
'What happened to James' son, the arrogant bastard that had made his life a living hell?' In front of him was a starved young man in clothes that were too big for him, with a scar marring his forehead, bags from sleepless nights, and the look of a dead man in his eyes.  
  
That was the only way to describe the look of Harry: dead. Souls of the damned were gliding through his pupils and silent tears running down his cheeks. Severus hadn't even realized Harry was crying until he saw the streaks on the side of his face.  
  
Professor Snape had made students cry before, obviously, but they had always been in class surrounded by other students always ready to comfort the devastated child.  
  
Watching Potter cry was unnerving, worse it was down right disturbing. In all his time knowing the kid he didn't think he was capable of crying, yelling and cursing-yes, but crying was something Harry was not allowed to do.  
  
Severus was suddenly tired, tired of spying, tired of teaching, and tired of living. He slid down gracefully beside the crying young man whose eyes were still staring off into space. Snape crossed his legs and covered his face in his hands.  
  
'Remember who you are sitting next to' his mind warned him. But, really, he was past caring about the icon and the idol. The person next to him was neither of those; he was a man with the weight of the world shoved onto his back and was having a hard time dealing with it.  
  
"Fuck it" Snape said to himself and inched closer to Potter. He looked at Harry and did something he was sure he would regret doing for the rest of his life. He lifted his arms and placed them around the sitting young man.  
  
Severus wasn't quite sure he was doing the hugging thing correctly. The last time a person had hugged him it had been Albus Dumbledore when he was twenty years old.  
  
Harry stiffened and thought the professor was going to try to kill him.  
  
"I'm so sorry." Potter whispered softly.  
  
Severus answered by tightening his arms around the man and resting his cheek on the messy dark brown hair. It was then that Harry realized he was being hugged by Snape, and he didn't feel as disgusted as he should, didn't feel disgusted at all really.  
  
It was different from the hugs he received from his friends for a 'good bye' or a 'hello' and was also different from the quick but warm embrace of Mrs. Weasley.  
  
He was being held.  
  
With that, Harry grabbed Snape's robes in his hands and balled them in his fists while he pulled the black clad man closer to him; clinging to him as a drowning man to a life raft.  
  
Harry burrowed his head into the crook of Snape's neck as the tears started to pour from his eyes.  
  
Severus felt his student's body shake with silent sobs and could feel the warm tears wet his neck. Right then and there, he wanted to cry too; he wanted to cry because people had died knowing Potter and more people would die because of Voldemort and mostly because he brought the savior of the wizarding world to tears. So, he did.  
  
They sat there like that for hours, just wrapped around each other crying because they were up against a world where nothing was fair. A world where a baby was a hero and a man who defeated one of the greatest wizards in the world was a fool and a Death Eaters was trusted with the care of young minds. Harry was right; the world wasn't fair, not even close. It was hard, cold, and unforgiving. The world was a knife and everyone in it was just hanging by a thread, even its savior.  
  
THE END?  
  
No, really, should this be the end? I don't know. Oh well, I love reviews and hearing what you have to think. Please criticize me. I want to know what I am doing wrong.  
  
-LoonyLass 


End file.
